Hard way up
This was published on Friday, 20th August 2004 in ‘IT Herald’, the IT supplement of ‘The Maharashtra Herald’ – Pune
| A BE in computers from MIT in 1997. Ashish Annachhatre, 28-year-old CEO of Internet Swami, a web-hosting and domain registration company and Ashtech Digital Concepts (ADC), a web designing and development services company, remembers his college days with the fondness one normally associates with the ‘best days of ones life’. Ashish, was in fact, awarded the ‘Computer Freak of the Class’ award in 1997. | |
Ashish Annachhatre |
Winner of the 1998 PC Quest quiz and Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), he says, “Technology and computers are my best friends. I am not a very social person and don’t have many friends.” He adds, “But I am trying to change myself. As CEO of a company, I have realised the importance of people skills and communication skills that are necessary for success.”
Annachhatre’s tryst with computers began when he was in the class XI when he saw his first computer. Completely fascinated, he became consummated by a desire to understand the machine and its prowess. A self-professed geek, he spends all his waking hours with the machine. Says he, “I read all computer related magazines and technical journals.” |
| A typical techie, he switched companies and jobs frequently before becoming an entrepreneur at the age of 24. His career began with Sun Technologies, an Indore-based company. He worked for couple of months and then switched to Indiaproperties.com after which he worked with IMC India as a consultant. During his stint with the company, he was posted in Germany. He says, “I was offered a five-year offer to stay but I refused, because I wanted to come back to start on my own.”
Starting with the incorporation of a designing company ADC in 2000, Annachhatre says, “The dotcom bust wasn’t an issue. I was working on small projects in the local market.” A year later, Annachhatre started his second company, Internet Swami. There were requests from my clients to start my own domain hosting services, as the players in the field were not up to the mark,” he says. The company has since established and even received offshoring projects. |
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- Published in The Maharashtra Herald
Speaking to the cyber swami
This was published on Friday, 20th August 2004 in ‘Pune Diary’, the supplement of ‘Mid Day’ by Mansi Kelkar
A BE Computers and a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), this young man has the distinction of having pointed out errors in their services to VSNL, which led the company to rework their services.
Now having taken over his competitor, Alpha Sapience Services Private Limited (ASSPL), Ashish Annachhatre is all set to expand the services that he offers to his clients. Primarily involved in web hosting, domain name registration and corporate mailing solutions, Internet Swami will now, with the infrastructure, expertise and clients, provide total Internet solutions.
Talking about the Internet and technology in India, says Ashish, “Internet technology in India is at very nascent stage and requires to mature and grow. Also technology infracture and research and development is expensive, and hence, not very well developed. With the industry developed in USA, people find it easier to host their websites on servers that are based there.”
On the area of Internet security that is gaining prominence today says Ashish, “Today, a majority of the websites from India are hackable and security is a growing concern for people. This situation will improve over the years as the industry grows and matures.”
On the future of the industry, he said that scope for growth was tremendous, but some infrastructure requirements like faster connectivity and broadband, if catered to, would help in a speedy rate of growth.
- Published in Mid Day